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First students start at Smith & Nephew backed Technical College

Named after Hull-born Lord Ron Dearing, an educational reformer who promoted technical and vocational education, the UTC specialises in digital technology and mechatronics – a combination of computing and engineering – in addition to traditional academic subjects such as maths, English and science.

Smith & Nephew is proud to support the Ron Dearing UTC, which brings greater depth to the education resources on offer in Hull, according to David Stephenson, Smith & Nephew Senior Engineering Projects Manager, who said: “As a major employer in the city it is important to us to support young people preparing for a technical career by working alongside these talented students from an early age. The medical devices industry offers many exciting career opportunities and we hope that, through this relationship, graduates will come to understand what Smith & Nephew has to offer when making important choices about their future.”

Charlie Spencer OBE, Chair of the Ron Dearing UTC Trust and Executive Chairman of Spencer Group, said: “All the employer sponsors are deeply committed to supporting the UTC in its aim to equip the region’s young people with the skills, qualifications and experience they need for local businesses and the local economy to grow. The placements, mentoring and projects they will provide will be very detailed and structured, to offer maximum benefit to the students and to develop the highly-skilled workforce the employers and other local employers require.”

Ron Dearing UTC Principal Designate Sarah Pashley said: “One of the key things that sets this UTC apart is the level of proactive involvement by the employers. They certainly aren’t paying lip service to this – the employers are involved hugely in the whole process.

“It all stems from them deciding what knowledge, skill, qualifications and experience the young people need to have. That informs the development of the curriculum, the design of the learning environment and the equipment and resources we will have in place.”